Gain the confidence to enthuse primary school pupils with a love of English, whilst developing your own knowledge of literature.

This course will enable you to get a job as a primary school teacher following graduation. There is a high demand for specialist primary school teachers and many of our graduates go on to become subject leaders. Furthermore, our Institute of Education is one of the top departments in the UK and has strong links with local schools.

You will divide your time between studying modules on professional skills and curriculum subjects, and developing your knowledge of English. The former will introduce you to the core National Curriculum subjects, including Information and Communications Technology (ICT). You will develop skills essential to the role of a teacher, including leadership, classroom management, and evaluation and assessment. You can then put these skills into practice through professional placements, which take place throughout the course. Additionally you will study professional legal requirements, and investigate the role of the teacher and how children develop.

This course introduces you to both key texts from the past and contemporary texts, for adults and children, in order to explore the relationship between the old and the new. Throughout the course you will have the opportunity to investigate how these texts can influence approaches to literature in a primary classroom. Additionally, a vital component within the English Specialism is to develop key leadership skills in order for you to lead English in primary schools.

Explore how important real-world issues such as gender and identity emerge in literature, and understand the place of children’s literature within the teaching of English in primary schools. Investigate the ways in which literature is categorised and the different values placed on different texts – including how these values influence English language, literature and other media.